Trump praises China’s support for North Korea talks

China is cheering the planned talks between the US and North Korea, favoring diplomacy over an “ominous alternative,” President Trump said Saturday.

“Chinese President XI XINPING and I spoke at length about the meeting with KIM JONG UN of North Korea,” Trump posted at 10:22 am, misspelling his counterpart’s name. Trump fixed the error at 11:15 a.m, correctly spelling Jinping.

“President XI told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative. China continues to be helpful!” Trump added.

Trump and Xi spoke by phone on Friday, the White House said. Trump’s bombshell announcement that he had accepted Kim Jong Un’s offer of a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders is “a step in the right direction,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.

Trump has gained China’s help in tightening sanctions on North Korea, which his administration has dubbed a “maximum pressure” campaign designed to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.